Brake welcomes increase in fines for motorway speeding and phone use at the wheel

Proposals to increase the maximum fines magistrates can impose for speeding on motorways and dual carriage ways have been announced by the Ministry of Justice, with maximum fines of £10,000 for speeding on a motorway and £4,000 on dual carriage ways. The current maximum fines for speeding are £2,500 on motorways and £1,000 on dual carriage ways. Drivers who use a mobile phone at the wheel could also face a £4,000 fine.

Reacting, Gary Rae, senior campaigner, Brake, said: “This is a welcome announcement. Through the support we provide for victims of road crashes, we bear witness to the devastating effects of risky law-breaking at the wheel. We need strong deterrents to speeding, mobile phone use and other dangerous behaviour by drivers, and tough punishments for those who put lives at risk. As such, we welcome these proposals for higher fines in Magistrates’ Courts. However we also need to see far higher fixed penalty fines, to build a greater respect for life-protecting laws on our roads.”

In 2012, 88 people were killed on UK motorways and 654 were seriously injured [1].

Find out more about Brake's Crackdown campaign for tougher penalties for drivers who kill and injure. Tweet us @Brakecharity, #Crackdown.

BrakeBrake is a national road safety charity that exists to stop the needless deaths and serious injuries that happen on roads every day, make streets and communities safer for everyone, and care for families bereaved and injured in road crashes. Brake promotes road safety awareness, safe and sustainable road use, and effective road safety policies. We do this through national campaigns, community education, a Fleet Safety Forum, practitioner services, and by coordinating the UK's flagship road safety event every November, Road Safety Week. Brake is a national, government-funded provider of support to families and individuals devastated by road death and serious injury, including through a helpline and support packs.

Brake was founded in the UK in 1995, and now has domestic operations in the UK and New Zealand, and works globally to promote action on road safety.

Road crashes are not accidents; they are devastating and preventable events, not chance mishaps. Calling them accidents undermines work to make roads safer, and can cause insult to families whose lives have been torn apart by needless casualties.

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Every 30 seconds someone, somewhere in the world is killed in a road crash. Brake works to stop road deaths and injuries by campaigning for safer roads; supports people bereaved or injured in road crashes; and raises public awareness for sustainable transport. Registered charity No. 1093244